Protective device



Dc. 1,x 1931. H. H. ZABRISKIE ET AL 1,834,757

PROTECTIVE DEVICE Filed Oct. 24. 1928- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l l filiatfiwummmww INVENTORS 7f. ffzarzlrh'e and JLA. Gumuk 60-,- ATTORNEY' Dec. 1, 1931- H. H. ZABRISKIE ET AL 1,834,757

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IIIHH I h PROTECTIVE DEVICE Filed Oct. 24. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ll ll.

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Patented Dec. 1, 1931 warren srArEs PATENT OFFICE HARRY H. ZABRISKIE, 0F ROGKV'ILLE CENTER, AND NATHAN A. GUSSAGK, or FLUSH- ING, NEW YoRK, ASSIGNORS TO GRANT ELEVATOR EQUIPMENT CORR, on NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

i RorEcrIvE DEVICE Application filed October 24, 1928. Serial No. 314,642.

This invention relates to protective devices; especially guards for use in connection with elevator shafts to insure'the safety of the occupants of the elevator cars or cages. I

An object of the invention is to provide a guard or protective device for the floor doors belonging to structures equipped withelevators, and controlling the entrances to the elevators at the various floor levels; and so designed as to prevent the occupants of an elevator from leaving the car until the floor doors are fully opened; thus'obviating the risk of accident and injury;

Another object of the invention is to provide a guard for the ledges at the various floor levels, andbetween the floor doors at the entrances to the elevators, and the elevator shaft. At such points fatalities are apt to occur, because person's riding in elevators often carelessly step out of the car upon such ledges before the entrance, to the car is opened and before the car is brought to a full stop. Under such conditions the danger of being caught between the car and a fixed part of the building and crushed, is very great.

The above and further objects and advantages are set forth in the following'description which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred form of the invention. We donot however wish to be limited to the exact construction shown herein but reserve the right to make any changes which are within the principle of the invention and do not exceed the scope of the meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

()n the drawings, V Y

Figure 1 is an end view'o'f two of the doors on the floor of the building which open and close the entrance to an elevator car showing a protective device according to our invention; I

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is a front view seen from the right of Fig. 1, of the lower part ofsaid doors 7' with the protective devices attached;

F 1g. 4 is a top plan of a movable connection for the parts of our protective device;

and i Fig. 5 is a section online 55 of Fig. 4:.

The same numerals identify the same parts throughout. 7 I

In the particular description of the device as shown in the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the vertical shaft'of abuilding inwhioh the elevator car or cage 2 travels up and down. The numeral 3 indicates one of the floors of the building, and 4: is the ledge which the floor presents at each level where a stop is made by the car 2 to receive and discharge passengers. This ledge is situated between the two doors 5 and 6, (which are sliding doors and may have on their lower edges, and upper edges as well, ribs or'r'ails 7 moving in channels 8 in the floor 3) and the entrance to the elevator shaft. The entrance ledge or threshold is closed by the doors 5 and 6 when the car2 is not at the level of the floor 3. As indicated in Fig. 2 by the humoral 9 the entrance is simply a way or opening ledge 4 must be made of some width to permit the door 5 to be mounted between the door 6 and the edges of this ledge at the shaft 1. If this ledge is left unguarded serious accidents may occur at themoment when a person is entering or leaving the elevator, if

the elevator is started too soon or is not stopped at the right time. This state of affairs is a matter of grave concern particularly in the case of apartment houses and the like which are equipped with elevators designed to be controlled by the tenants' The control system includes means whereby the elevator car is automatically stopped with its floor leveled with the floor 3 at the entrance 9. In such installations, the elevator car 2 is often used by children who, when the car approaches the floor where they intend to get out, will often step from the car 2 upon the ledge 4: without waiting for the car to stop with the result that the juvenile occupant of the car is sometimes killed or maimed at the level of the ledge 1. To guard this ledge and thus prevent anyone from stepping out from the car 2 upon it until the car has come to a complete stop and the doors 5 and 6 are moved back to uncover the entrance 9, is therefore a matter of very great importance.

The object in question can be obtained by mounting protecting devices on both doors 5 and 6; the protective devices in question being of such nature as to shield the ledge 4 until the, doors'5 and 6 are moved out of the way. The door 5 has a guard or shield 10 attached, this guard or shield presenting an inclined surface above the ledge 4 and being attached along its upper edge 11 to the door 5 by means of a screw or similar fastening devices 12. This guard maybe made of sheet metal and its lower edge 13 is bent downward to a point just above the edge of the ledge 4-.- I also attach to the remote end of the door 6 a supporting bar 14: which may be a piece of angle iron, secured in slanting position and carrying at its lower end a metal plate 15 constituting a guard like the plate 10. This guard is also inclined and its lower end 16 is bent downward. It is located below the guard 10: and is uncovered by the latter in the position of the doors shown in Figs. 2 and 8; but when the doors are pushed back to open position, the guard 10 overlies the guard 15. In the closed position of the doors 5 and 6 only the end of the guard 15 will be beneath the guard 10.

To support more effectively the end ofthe guard 15 remote from bar 14;, a sliding connection is provided between the guard plate 15 and the door 5. This connection comprises two channel bars 17, one attached to the under face of the inclined part of the guard 15 and the other to brackets 18 having their lower ends extending diagonally outward from the door 5 to which it is secured by any suitable fastening devices 20. The channel bars 17 thus present their mouths to each other and the opposite sides of these bars are grooved or made concave, as shown at 21. Cooperating with the bars 17 are two similarchannel bars 22 of greater width secured back to back and having their opposite sides bulged as shown at 23 to make-the inner surfaces of these sides concave and provide longitudinal grooves similar to the grooves 21. The bars 17 and 22' are so arranged that the bars' 17 present their inner open sides to the bottoms of'the bars 22 and the grooves 23 are opposite the grooves 21.

Between each of the channel bars 17 and the adjacent enveloping channel bar 22 is a trough-shaped retainer 24, the bottom of which is adjacent the open inner side of the cooperating channel bar 17. These retainers have holes 25 to receive anti-frictional elements such as balls 26. Obviously when the doors 5 and 6 are moved so that the door 5 projects beyond the door 6, the bar 17 secured to the door 5 can be pulled out of its coop-crating channel bar 22 in one direction, while the other bar 17 may project out of the other channel bar in the opposite direction. The bars 17 support the retainers 24 and the bars 22, and the bars 17 have projections 27 made by punching the sides thereof and acting so that the bars 22 can not be pulled out of the retainers 24c. Likewise the bars 22 .will have projections 28 in the bottoms thereof to act as stops limiting the movement of the ball retainers when bars 17 are drawn in opposite directions by the movement of the doors to closed position, as indicated in igs- 1 V In practice, when the doors 5 and 6 are moved out to close the entrance 9, the two guard plates 10 and15 will cover and screen the ledge 1 and act as a protective device for theoccupants of the car 2, so that they cannot find a foothold upon the ledge 4. When the doors are thus moved, the bar 17 attached to the bracket 18, ispulled out of its-enveloping bar 22 as'far as the stop 28 on this bar and the stops 27 on the bar 17 will permit. Likewise the two channel bars 22 which are rigidly attached together have such relative movement that the other bar 17 will be caused to project from the opposite end of the other bar 22. But the movement of this remaining bar 17 will be limited b the stop 28 of the cooperating bar 22 and the stops 27 carried by this remaining bar 17 it self. Owing to the fact that the bars 17 are caused to fit snugly within the channel bars 22 by the interposition of the retainers 24 and balls 26, any side play of these bars is prevented although the bars can slide freely into projected position or be telescoped with in each other as the bars 17 .move into the bars 22. The bars 17 and 22 will thus, even when distended, be able to support effectively the free end of the guard 15 even should considerable weight be exerted thereon and the bars 17 and '22 thus serve as a sliding connection between the free end of the guard 15 and the door 5. 1

The bar 17 attached to the brackets 18 is about as long as the plate 10, while the other bar 17 is of practically the same length as the plate 15 and extends along the length thereof, being secured to the inclined portion of plate 15, as shown in Fig. 1, by rivets or any other suitable means.

In practice, when the doors are closed, as shown in Figs. 2 and 8, the guards 10 and 15 completely cover the ledge 4 and protect the occupants of the elevator car from the consequences of their own carelessness ifthey should attempt to'st'ep outupon the ledge before the doors 5 and 6-are open. To move the doors aside and clear the entrance 9, they are made to slide to the right with reference to Fig. 2; the door 5 moving faster than the door 6 until door 5 overlies the door 6 and the guard 10 overlies the guard 15 and both doors with their guard plates 10 and 15 are to one side of the entrance 9.

lVhile we have shown our protective device comprising guard plates connected to doors moving in different vertical planes, as adapted for elevators, we may obviously use it for other purposes where similar conditions are to be taken into consideration.

We claim 1. A protective device comprising guard plates to be attached to sliding doors above a surface adjacent the lower edges of the doors, one of said guard plates being attached,

to each door and movable therewith to expose said surface when the doors are open.

2. A protective device comprising guard plates for sliding doors mounted to move in the same direction, one of said guard plates being attached to each of said doors to cover a surface adjacent the lower edges of the doors, the guard plates overlying each other when the doors are in open position.

A protective device for a pair of sliding doors, mounted to move to open position and in the opposite direction to closed position, and a guard plate attached to each door to cover a surface adjacent the bottoms ofthe doors and movable with the doors, the guard plates overlying each other when the doors are open.

4. A protective devicecomprising a pair of sliding doors mounted to move in different vertical planes, the one door to project beyond the other when the doors are in closed position, a guard plate attached to the one door and a cooperating guard plate attached to the other door, said guard plates serving to cover a surface adjacent the bottomsof the doors and overlapping at their ends when the doors are closed, one of said guard plates overlying the other when the doors are open.

5. A protective device to be attached to a pair of doors mounted to slide in different vertical planes with one door projecting beyond the other when the doors are in closed position, a guard plate carried by one-door, a supporting bar extending from the other door, and a guard plate attached to the outer end of said bar, said guard plates when the doors are in closed position being distended to protect the surface adjacent the bottoms of said doors and arranged so that one of said the doors are one door, a supporting bar attached to the end of the door and projecting diagonally downward, aguard plate mounted upon the bar to cooperate with the first-named guard plate, and a sliding connection between the end of the guard plate attached to said bar and the door carrying the first guard plate to support the free end of the guard plate mounted upon said bar.

8. A-protective device for doors mounted to move in different vertical planes, said device comprising a guard plate attached to the one door, a bar secured to the end of the other door and extending diagonally downward and outward;therefrom, a second guard plate attached to the outer end of said bar to co operate-with thefirst-named guard plate and cover a surface adjacent the lower edges of the doors, said guard plates arranged to overlie each other when the doors are opened, brackets carried by the door to which the first-named guard plate is attached and telescoping bars secured to said bracket and the last-named guard plate to connect the lastnamed guard plate and said bracket.

9; The protective device according to claim 8', wherein the telescoping bars though free to move longitudinally engage each other so as to prevent lateral movement and thus support the end of the second-named guard plate remote from the bar which mounts it on. the door carrying same.

10. A protective device for doors mounted to move in different vertical planes comprising a guard plate attached to one door, a

supporting-bar attached to the other door extending downward and outward therefrom, a guard plate secured to said bar and having its outer end overlapped by the firstna-med guard plate when the doors are in closed position, one of said guard plates overlying the other when'the doors are open,

brackets connected to the door carrying the first-named guardplate, a channel barsecured to said brackets, a similar channel bar secured to the second-named guard plate, said channel'bars presenting their open sides to each other, channel bars secured back to back and enveloping each of the first-named channel: bars, retainers in the last-named channel bars carrying anti-friction elements, the sides of the channel bars being made concaveto' provide longitudinal grooves for said frictionelementsyand stops formed on the channel bars to limit the movement thereof with regard to said retainers, the bars being distended when the doorsarcshut and serving to support the end of the second-named guard plate. i

11. Guard means for the floor entrance threshold of an elevator shaftway, said means including two members each provided with a part for attachment respectively to one of two relatively sliding doors, one of said members constituting a guard to extend between the doors and the elevator shaftway over the entrance threshold, and means connecting said members with each other and permitting of their relative sliding movement in the opening and closing movements of said doors.

12. Guard means for the floor entrance threshold of an elevator shaftway, said means including two members each provided with a part for attachment respectively to one of two relatively sliding doors, one of said members constituting a guard to extend between the doors and the elevator shaftway over the entrance threshold, and means arranged between and connecting said members in a permanently assembled unit, said means embodying slidably engaged parts retaining said members in, spaced apart relation for relative movement in parallel planes.

Guard means for-the floor entrance threshold of an elevator shaftway, said means including two members each provided with a part for attachment respectively to one of: two relatively sliding doors, one of said members constituting a guard to extend between the doors and the elevator shaftvvay over the entrance threshold, and means arranged between and connecting said members in a permanently assembled unit, said means embodying floating guide means, elements carried by each of said members for movement therewith relative to the guide means, and anti-friction means interposed etween said guide means and said elements. let. in combination with relatively slidable floor entrance doors for. an elevator shaitway, guard means for the floor entrance threshold between the doors and the. shaftway, said means comprising guard plates attached to the respective doors for movement therewith and extending transversely from the doors and covering the entrance threshold when the doors are in closed position.

15. In combination with relatively slidable floor entrance doors for an elevator shattway, guard means for the floor entrance threshold between the doors and the shaftway, said means comprising guard plates attached to the respective doors for movement therewith and extending transversely from the doors and covering the entrance threshold when the doors are in closed position, and means slidably connecting a guard hereto. HARRY H. ZABRISKIE.

NATHAN GUSSACK. 

